Thursday, September 4, 2008

Brian Fredrickson Remembered

"And ever has it been known that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation." Kahlil Gibran

"Sparks Fly Upward"

Brian spent his childhood years in Washington state. He worked for Boeing Motion Picture and later was the owner of Audio Con Brio, a sound design company in Seattle. Brian moved to Los Angeles in the year 2000 and continued working as a sound designer for all forms of media. His work as a member of a team for Technicolor Sound Services was nominated for a Golden Reel in 2008 for the video game Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

Brian was admitted to the emergency room at Glendale Adventist Hospital on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 and was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer from a lymph node biopsy done on May 28.

Brian came home from the hospital on May 30th with the support of Verdugo Hospice. Cancer spread outside the pancreas by the time it was found. Over 33,000 people in the U.S. and over 188,000 people worldwide will die of pancreatic cancer this year. By the time pancreatic cancer is diagnosed, it is usually too late for a promising outcome. The average life expectancy after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer is 3 to 6 months. We used up about 1 1/2 month of that chasing wrong diagnosis of the problem.

Sam the Cat crossed over on Saturday, June 7th at 1 p.m.. He had fluids in his heart and we took him to the vet that morning. He died peacefully in his sleep and we feel that he has crossed over to await Brian's arrival.

6.17.08 Twenty two days after going to ER, Brian crossed over at 5:40 a.m. Brian's best friend Galen was present. Kim was able to hold him, pray with him and talk to him as the sun rose and the birds were singing. It was peaceful.

Surviving children are Ephraim, Seth, Natasha, Thea and Quinn.

Brian will be remembered for his witty, quoteable and restlessly curious spirit, his fiestyness and his deeply-held affection for his friends. He will be remembered for his inspirational approach to sound design as an artist first and a technician second. He was a spiritual man and a loving father and a deeply passionate life partner.

SOME BRIAN QUOTES:

“No, he's actually short. He just appears at eye level to average height people because he floats above the ground a little and no one, I mean - no one - seems to notice.”

"He had only one superpower - the power to make other people smell."

"BIG BANG AUDIO - you'll shit a million stars."

"What ever happened to that intitial sense of revulsion?"

"All the fun normally associated with the end of the world."

"I hear you've been napping around."

“I choose to straddle this world and the next one and drop bread crumbs.”

Written on February 12, 2008 at 12:38 in the morning... “Looking for parts that matterWet and tired, a strong return?Fuck the stupid grey mist singingOld and tired songsAnd fuck the sleep that comes beggingWith lucid fits of of ill regardI'm a comet burning loudlyWith brilliant flamesThrough ripping airSome tremble with expected doomBut I was only out forAn exaulted romp through timeI am gone”

COMMENTS FROM THOSE WHO WORKED ALONG SIDE OF BRIAN IN THE AUDIO INDUSTRY:

==========Charles Maynes

Brian Fredrickson EOW 6-17-08....

Condolences to all of those who knew Brian and called him a friend...

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Kris Giampa

Rest in peace Brian.

Brian had a ferocious drive to always get what he needed and was an extremely talented Sound Designer. I was lucky enough to learn a considerable amount of information from him and his design ways. Personally Brian was also a very cool and funny guy as well...

We will miss you,

- Kris

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David Fisk

Oh man...He will be missed.

I was just having lunch with some folks today from the old work, and we were all talking about him, and how great he was to work with, and how great of a person he was. Every time I worked with him, he was always in a great mood, and we had great fun together. I am so sad to hear of his passing, but at least his suffering and pain are over, and he's moved on to the great sound design suite in the sky.

-Dave

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Tom Hays

The next time you hear a sound where you had to stop and think, that uses a process you hadn't thought of before, that's way more trouble than the client deserves - pour a drop on the ground for Brian.

Brian was the real deal. He was loved, and will be missed.

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Bryan Celano

Brian was a master audio craftsman whose passion ran deep in the world of “Sound for Picture”. His never-ending enthusiasm and desire to acquire knowledge and techniques for creating unique sounds led him down paths that few had the know-how to travel. He always thought outside the “creative” box. He used all available tools of the craft, including his coveted Kyma system in which he produced many of his own distinctive programs to create signature sounds unique only to him.

One of Brian’s most impressive traits was his upbeat attitude. He was always in good spirits and seemed to have a constant skip in his step. I am grateful for all that he taught me, both professionally and personally, and I am a better person for it. Brian touched all of those around him and will be sorely missed.

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Frank Frey

It's been many years since we last worked together...on that narration at Jack Straw in Seattle after you left Boeing. I well remember how much you always seemed to be right in your element in that room there at Gateway with all the slick audio gear, cooking up amazing, creative audio tracks.

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Bruce Parsons

Brian, you inspire me every time I think of you. You always seem close because of our shared interests and outlook even though we're many miles apart. You however have taken those shared interests and are doing such amazing courageous things with them. It's not just the artistic accomplishments that I admire, but the way you infuse the people around you with the same joy for life and optimism that fills your heart. I always associate you with the word "kinetic". You grab life with muscle memory, play it directly from the brain, typified by the baroque that just rolls off your fingers at the keyboard (magically). I'm so lucky that you just happened to be at SeaTac mall that Saturday morning in 1982. I think one of the best lessons you have taught me is to strive to have more of those what-the-fuck moments when we let go of our inhibitions and allow creativity to flow. We once talked about the 2 opposing forces in life: love and fear. Well you demonstrate to me over and over what wonders occur when we trust love.

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Kevin Jones

My friend... you brought a gift to me years ago with your talent and artistry. I appreciated it then although was perhaps too young to express it. Never once did I ever have a feeling other than a connection with you and an appreciation for you through music and sound. Our paths took us to where we needed to be and here I sit ready... willing and full of gratitude for all my experiences. You my friend are most certainly one of them.

Your energy has reached many miles as one of my closest friends, who lives far from me and who doesn't know you reported to me that he sensed my sadness about something and began describing you in extremely accurate detail. When he finished, I told him about you and our connection through music and sound which came as no surprise. Your thread is strong and will always be.

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John Heile

I am an old aquaintance of Brian's, and used to work with him at Boeing. I wanted to let you know that I have been thinking a lot about Brian, and we are all thinking of him. My office is actually in the same audio room that he designed, and that he worked in so many years ago...and it has not changed at all over the years. As I look around this room I am reminded of him being here and working together with him, and his comment about his job here being the best job at Boeing.

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Art Currim

Dear Brian Gone but nought forgotten Here's to the monster in the basement Pull-ups and java and FU 2 the system Music being just alright And riding on thru the night...

46 comments:

I am so grieved to come across this site. I had no idea that we had lost you, Brian. I always called you Brionne', because you were too unique to be just Brian, and remembered you as the Mad Scientist of the Audio Board - your pony tail flying, as you shuttled your chair from one end of the audio board to the other. What a great loss to us all. I offer blessings and condolences to your family.Lee of Ryansville

So it is the duty of the artist to discourage all traces of shame.To extend all boundaries.To establish problem.To ignore solutions.To verify the irrational.To cause the unseen eyes to open.To lift the flesh above the suffering.To forgive the beautiful its disconsolate deceit.

To HAPPEN.

It is the artist’s duty to be alive.To drag people into glittering occupations.To blush perpetually in gaping innocence.To burrow beneath the subconscious.To defend the unreal at the cost of his reason.To commit his company to all enchantments.